Macedonia looks to Russia for exports amid war of sanctions

SKIPJE, November 21. /TASS/. Macedonia seeks to maintain mutually advantageous trade cooperation with Russia, as well as to increase exports to Russia amid of its war of sanctions with the West over Ukraine, the head of the Macedonian-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry told TASS on Wednesday.

Dejan Beshliev said Macedonia was seeking to maintain trade cooperation with Russia, adding that Macedonian companies operating in the agro-industrial sector could take advantage of new opportunities amid the war of sanctions.

“As for the next year, we expect that more high-quality Macedonian products, including wine, will hit the shelves in Russia,” Beshliev said.

Citing reports about violations in supplies of Macedonian products to Russia, he said if they were confirmed measures would be taken against companies or individuals capitalizing on the sanctions situation.

Russia came under Western sanctions, originally visa bans and asset freezes, for incorporation of Crimea in mid-March after a coup in Ukraine in February. Later, Western claims that Russia is taking part in hostilities in southeast Ukraine, which Moscow has repeatedly denied, resulted in more serious, sectoral, restrictions. In response, Moscow imposed on August 7 a one-year ban on imports of beef, pork, poultry, fish, cheeses, fruit, vegetables and dairy products from Australia, Canada, the EU, the United States and Norway.